Annoyingly, and not good in terms of seeing and hearing justice being done,
on-line observers could not hear the first 15 minutes of today's cross
examination of Leonard Johnson, the defendant by Brent Council's Counsel.
Ms Holland QC for Brent Council suggested the fact that the council had to
give the Bus Depot Steering Group a licence to enter the site showed that
permission had to come from them because they had no rights to the property.
Mr Johnson replied the project could not have continued without such a
licence because they were part of the tendering.
Holland returned to the now familiar refrain that HPCC was managing and
running the project. There was no community ownership by HPCC or any other
entity.
Johnson retorted that it was theirs because it was they who went for the
depot. If they'd got professionals involved, they could have done it for
themselves. 'It was our project but the council dropped on us. It was for the
community.'
He said, 'The council should be the defendant, not us. The council gave us
licence and lease but I don't agree they were the owner. The council was a big
enough organisation to help us but we could have got developers to do it, just
like the council is doing now.'
Answering a further question Johnson said, 'All along I had confidence in
the council to do what we wanted. We were naive - we were youngsters.'
Turning to the lease on the depot, Holland said there was no documentation
about signing the lease on condition of it including a right to buy the
freehold. Mr Johnson said he did not sign the lease because they didn't
get the freehold. His experience was that you couldn't trust the council
when it came to leases.
The Judge asked if there was any correspondence regarding the lease. Johnson
replied that he went to the EC (European Community) to get the full amount. He
didn't want the MEP to represent HPCC.
Holland reiterated that it was Brent Council's case that there was no understanding,
no representations, no agreement that there was a lease giving an option to
buy. She went on to ask Johnson what entity had interest in the property.
He replied that it was the organisation they were going to setup to take
over the running of the project. not the Steering Group, that would transfer to
a new organisation. This would be for the whole community - not just parts of
it. It was never set up. This was council 'skulduggery'. 'They have a poisonous
tongue that goes back into their belly.'
He concluded, 'We fully accepted that it would go to the community. It was
our building - our project. The Black African Caribbean contribution has been
not just for a few years but for hundreds of years - it was our money as well.'
Referring to Charles Wood, former Brent CEO, Mr Johnson said that he had no
credibility, 'He never expected us to succeed.'
Questioned further he said that the council had helped, the leader of
the council was excited about their visions. It was a partnership: 'where is
that partnership
now? '"This is what we are going to do to you and
your community."'
Johnson said that they believed this project was going to be a legacy for
'our community - for the future.'
When Ms Holland said the assets were down to the nature of the vision - 'not
because you felt you had an option for the freehold?' Johnson said he did not
agree, 'All the assets, licence, leases, freehold - everything we did was about
owning the project - not a nice place for the council to claim the credit for.'
Holland repeated there was no documentation regarding ownership and no
record of any representations. Johnson replied, 'I have said before, it was our
initiative, we were doing it for ourselves. We were going on our own and
the council got involved. They let the building deteriorate. They wanted to
make us obsolete. They are stealing from us if I can it that strongly.'
Holland suggested that they were benefiting from being able to take the
profit from Bridge Park. Johnson retorted that they were paying back bank loans
at a high rate of interest. Loans that were unnecessary because the council
could have gone out with them to get a loan. When Holland pointed out
they had income from Bridge Park before then Johnson said they had ploughed it
back into the project. 'We were helping people set up businesses. The
income helped us retain what we were trying to achieve.'
The Judge asked if the loan was repaid and Holland replied that the council
had paid it, including interest.
Johnson said at the time of the Midland Bank loan things were haywire at the
project. Money was being taken away. He said the council were the author of
their own misfortune. They were looking down the road at a £50m project sold
for £12m to a developer. The loan was nothing in comparison to the contract the
council was now engaged in.
Ms Holland about the document written by Charles Wood that summarised the
complex reasons why the project failed. Johnson said that Wood was 'being economical
with the truth'. He organised the downfall of the project with the councillor
on the board (mentioned yesterday). Lettings to various groups stopped. 'When
the councillor came on the board, that's when our downfall began.'
Johnson said that reports about him and the project were what orchestrated
the failure. Allegations that millions had been stolen from the project. 'Mr
Wood, no one from the council, refuted the allegations. It was in the Daily
Mail, the local paper..'
The Judge intervened to say that Mr Cottle, the defendant's Counsel, had not
wanted him to see the press cuttings as he didn’t think they were relevant.
Turning to Mr Johnson he said, 'I understand you don’t accept the council's
account of the end of the project. We are just going to have to disagree on
that. The fact is that it did fail in the 90s.'
Ms Holland turned to the subject of charities. She said HPCC was not a
charity but had an aspiration that the future organisation would have
charitable status. That is the only reference to charity in the case.
Johnson said that HPCC had charitable aims, they were doing charitable work
as volunteers. They were never a private organisation working for profit.
Holland pressed, 'There was no question or discussion that the property was
being held by a charitable trust at the outset.' Johnson replied that
they had been volunteers from day1, donations and all been voluntary. Holland
quoted Charles Wood's evidence that he didn’t recall any discussion of
charitable status or that it was held on trust. All witnesses at the time
said the same thing. HPCC was not a charity. Johnson replied that they and to
be a charity to get the money - 'we were a voluntary organisation.'
Ms Holland said that the application for restriction on the sale was made in
2018 but Johnson had not done anything or layed claim regarding the property.
Johnson said, 'We wasn't consulted. They just told people what they wanted to
do.'
The next interchange was about Johnson's status as a trustee with the
existence of a constitution for HPCC being doubted by the Brent Council Counsel
and affirmed by Johnson. Holland referred to the original report that said the
HPCC council was 10 people, elected by 60 young black adults, - it had no
written constitution. Mr Johnson said that they were developing a constitution
at the time. They wanted to be unincorporated - not part of something
bigger. Holland responded that they didn’t want to be like other
organisations.
Johnson then claimed that there was a constitution and Holland asked why it hadn’t
been revealed in the papers. The Judge intervened to say it might be in the
second tranche and they needed to get to the bottom of the issue of whether
there was a constitution.
Holland then asked for evidence that Johnson was a trustee. Johnson
said he had always been a trustee but didn't know if it had been written down.
There was a document appointing him Chair of HPCC. The Judge asked if
there were minutes of HPCC meetings. Holland said there was one document that
was not described as minutes but may serve as one.
Attention turned to Leonard Johnsons' Defence Statement and Holland pointed
out it said, 'Mr Johnsons should not be a party in these proceedings. She said,
'Why shouldn't you?'
Johnson said, 'I’ve never seen the document. I can see my name there; I can
see I signed. Maybe, there is a gentleman called Mr Mastin, the thing is...'
The Judge asked if he disagreed with the content of the document.
Johnson said that he had gone through days of reading documents. He wasn't
well. Holland challenged asking, 'Are you saying you don't read them? You don't
really care what they say?'
Johnson: 'I do read them and I do care.'
Holland said, ‘The document says that as HPCC is unincorporated you are not
a trustee. Are you disagreeing with that statement?'
Johnson asked for time to read the document again. He thought he had read it
before he came to court. After reading he said, 'I'm trying to think why
I signed this.'
Holland quoted, 'HPCC is and always was unincorporated' and 'was not a
trustee.' The Judge interjected to say that it could be a legal statement.
Asked by Holland about the statement that he should not be a party to the
case, Johnson said he didn't know how he had missed the 'not'. He said he had
been working and had asked for more time to get witnesses and Brent Council
refused.
Holland then asked him about the statement that he'd resigned from Bridge
Park, saying that it must have come from him. Johnson replied, 'I don't know
what I have done here.'
Johnson was then asked about the transfer of HPCC to Stonebridge Community
Trust (HPPC) Limited. The transfer had taken place before any claims to
the property. Johnson couldn't remember if the committee had put it
together without any legal advice.
Referring to the dates on the document Holland said two predated 8th May 2019
when there was a claim that SCT (HPCC) had an interest.
John said that was the vehicle they were using now. It is still one
and the same organisation. The Trust is the organisation HPCC were
transferring everything to.
Re-examining Mr Cottle checked which document Johnson was refusing to sign
and he said the lease document which didn’t include an option to buy. Cottle
asked who Ted Watkin was. Johnson said that was an American entrepreneur from
Watts County. He told HPCC what he was doing at a meeting at Hill Top. He
gave a presentation about independence and self-sufficiency in front the of the
Chief Executive and councillors. They had performances and put on a show.
Johnson said, 'The idea of having assets came from us, He agreed. Richard Gotch
shared a document on how we could own our own assets.' The report by Tom Bryson refers to an understanding that lease should have an option to acquire the
freehold. 'The meeting with Ted Watkins allowed us to look at ownership, He
made several trips to advise us.'
Cottle referred to the GLC document that spoke of a 'unique idea'. Johnson said
he had met Ken Livingstone and his deputy and told them about their aims. Mike
Bichard was there. They all agreed and Ken Livingstone backed the whole
programme.
Cottle asked about Wimpey surfacing the Bridge Park car park and whether
there had been more private funders. Johnson said there were a number but
remember them off the top of his head. They contributed to construction
work.
The next section was distorted by unmuted phones and phone conversations
taking place and I can’t report on it with accuracy.
Johnson said he was a trustee and chair of HPCC. The reason he was
sitting here now was because he had been called back by the community and the
leader of the Conservative Party in Brent. 'They said, "They're going to
sell Bridge Park," I said, "They're not!" '
The Judge asked what HPCC had been doing since the 1990s. Mr Johnson said
they had run training programmes, events, work with churches, activities. A
number of things had been going on.
The Judge asked if since that time he had heard about Brent’s plans. Did he
have a continuing interest?
Johnson said there was a continuing interest. Funds were cut, the bar was
closed, because it had become a free for all, undesirable people began to infiltrate.
People who there by then couldn’t control it. That culture took over. He had
thought that the council going back would flush them out but they also threw
out the new group that wanted to work with them.
The Judge asked if at any time he had said to the council that they still
had an interest in the property.
Johnson replied that HPCC members still used the building. They still had an
office there and put on activities.
The Judge asked it if was only when council released the [redevelopment]
plans that Johnson was re-energised. Johnson said it was when the council began
to run it down. People were saying the council was trying to sell it. They were
taking leases away from people and issuing CPOs 'I came back and said it's not
fair.'
The Judge then asked Johnson what he wanted out of it. Johnson replied, 'I
want a partnership. I want the council to reform the partnership. We get
the freehold and we work with developers.'
The Judge asked, 'You want to reinstate what was there in the 80s?' Johnson
replied, 'I think there's a dynamic group of people who could work together
with the developers.'
The Judge remarked, 'This case is going to need more work between the
parties - encourage them to get together.'
Johnson told Mr Cottle, who had resumed re-examining, that they had
continued to meet in the building. 'I told the council you can't stop us having
a meeting there. I made it clear it wasn't their building.'
The Judge told Mr Cottle it would be helpful if Mr Johnson could find the
constitution.
There was a break at this point. I will write about the evidence of Paul Anderson,
Bertha Joseph and Richard Gotch tomorrow.
There is no hearing tomorrow. The court resumes on Thursday.